In May 1993 a border agreement, which had been struck by Qatar and Saudi Arabia on Dec. 20, 1992, was the subject of amicable talks held in the capital of Doha between Emir Sheikh Khalifah ibn Hamad ath-Thani and Saudi Defense Minister Prince Sultan ibn ’Abd al-Aziz as-Sa’ud. The meeting reportedly ended hostilities between the two desert states. Qatar continued, however, to maintain an independent line in foreign policy, which was sometimes at odds with other Gulf Arab partners. In April the Qatari government became the first Arab state to receive a visit by South African Foreign Minister Pik Botha, symbolizing the end of the Arab boycott of South Africa.

The territorial dispute with Bahrain over ownership of the Hawar Islands soured Qatari relations with its neighbour. The matter, however, was scheduled for a hearing at the International Court of Justice at The Hague on Feb. 28, 1994.

The North Field gas project, Qatar’s most ambitious industrial scheme, took another step forward on January 31 when Mobil Oil Corp. purchased a 10% stake in the Qatar Liquefied Gas Co., assuring a wider market for its products. J.P. Morgan, the leading New York investment bank, was appointed financial adviser to the project and was given a mandate to advise on borrowing requirements.

In October Qatar was host to round-robin soccer matches between the six Asian Zone nations (Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Japan, Saudi Arabia, and South Korea) attempting to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the U.S.